


Nickisnotonfire

by bouquetofwords



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF, Video Blogging & YouTube RPF, bbc radio one
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 14:44:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/941222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bouquetofwords/pseuds/bouquetofwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick takes some time to notice Dan. But then he does. Despite Dan's jokes and not because of it. Or something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nickisnotonfire

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this about 3 months ago but then I left it and I am probably never writing it so I changed some events to make it more relevant and decided to post it. I basically hope it will make actual writers write Nick/Dan.
> 
> Also, I obviously own Nick Grimshaw and Dan Howell and Harry Styles because I am the puppet master of the universe.
> 
> PS: I really don't

Thinking back Nick realizes that it all begins, as with most of the best things in life, with Sugarscape. He even remembers exactly when it happened because it occurred around the time that Harry tried it with Taylor and that isn’t something he is likely to forget soon.

It was evening and he was feeling a little mopey because, yes, he wasn’t exclusive with Harry but the thought of him with some other girl made him feel weird and uncomfortable in his stomach. It could be jealousy but it was probably acidity or something. He fiddles with twitter to distract himself and comes across the sexiest lad of 2012 poll and for the first time in his life Nick Grimshaw lays his eyes on Dan Howell.

It doesn’t change his life or even really register with him other than a vague sense of familiarity that perhaps he was meant to be doing some special on Radio 1 for christmas or something. No, he’s mostly looking for where Harry is placed in the list. Fourth, as it turns out. Not even the highest amongst his band mates with Niall coming second. He feels smug somehow even though he’s nowhere in the list.

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next time Nick interacts with Dan they have gone directly to discussing Nick’s going rate for exchanging sexual favours with woodland creatures. It’s a strange enough conversation made even weirder by the fact that everyone seems fairly ready for all kinds of sexy times with a badger in exchange for the right amount of money. He knew he was amoral but he had no idea he hung out with such a group of slags. That is until someone says “No hedgehogs though. I won’t fuck a hedgehog for a million pounds” and everyone agrees seriously. He goes along with it but mostly due to peer pressure. He does have a tendency to sway to popular opinion though he feels that it’s wrong somehow and hopes hedgehogs everywhere don’t get offended.

It sort of takes off from there. Dan just seems to be appearing all the times at odd places in his life and always in the oddest of situations. One evening he walks into the elevator and finds a Dan a panic stricken Dan.

“I am wearing the same sweater as Rylan”, Dan exclaimed before continuing “Its my first proper Radio special that is being aired online and I am wearing the same sweater as Rylan of all people”

“So?”

“So?? Its Rylan off Big Boss”

“Look, I have followed Rylan very closely”,  Nick says eliciting a raised eyebrow from the other guy “and trust me when I say that I didn’t  notice it till you pointed it out to me. Also, I am sure you look much better than he does”

Dan seems to calm a little at this

“Listen, Dan. You’re young and you’re already doing a regular feature. You will be fine”

“Thanks. I just got a little nervous. Don’t think of me as that weirdo from youtube okay?”

Nick doesn’t. To be honest, he doesn’t think about Dan all that much.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Sony Awards , The Big Weekend and Call or Delete happen in quick and rapid succession and suddenly Dan and Phil appear to be everywhere. Young, fresh faced and incredibly awkward.  

For the first couple of times Nick wondered if it was perhaps an act. That they were just trying to act out their internet personas. Surely no one replies with an “um.. yeah” to a cheery “hiya boys” after 3 seconds of looking around almost as if to see if it was perhaps aimed at someone else. But soon, he thought against it. Surely you can’t put up an act at 2:30 am at someone’s apartment while putting up dumb videos on vine

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Slow as it takes Nick to really open his eyes and see Dan, he does.

He’s weird, that kid, but he’s funny and most people seem unable to resist his charm.

One day he’s discussing his beauty with Dev on morning radio and when Dev asks him if Dan isn’t possibly the most beautiful person he has ever seen he gets a strange desire to say “Yeah, but he’s nicer than his face”. It makes him uncomfortable because not too long ago he remembers telling Sara Cox a similar line about a completely different person.

A person who is not quite in his life anymore because touring is tough and they were too busy being cowards to actually make demands from each other.

Nick’s staring at the elevator door trying to will it to open with his crazy eyes and also half thinking about how much he hated waiting for the elevator but that he hated taking the stairs more .

 “Hey Nick, what’s up? Big plans this weekend?”

He turns around to see Dan who…. looks different somehow.

“Nothing much actually. Just thought I’d stay in and laze about. What about you? What are you even doing here?”, Nick asked still staring at Dan intently. Something felt different.

“Oh, had to talk to Chris Stark about some plans. Phil’s going on a vacation with his parents so am all alone so Chris is going to fill in. Should be interesting”, Dan said.

“Nice, nice. Oh, by the way you left your tie at my flat from the last time you were here. I don’t know what you and Phil were up to with Caroline but.. I.. Wait, you’re not with Phil”, Nick said suddenly realizing what felt off.

“I just said that”

“Yeah, well. It’s weird to see you without him”, Nick replied.

“You’ve seen me plenty without him”, Dan replied looking very affronted.

Nick had no idea what made Dan look so indignant but he did tend to have that effect on people regularly so he decided not to dwell too much on it. He really needed to follow his dad’s advice to open brain before mouth or whatever.

“Anyway, I could come over and get my tie, I guess. It’d be nice to have some company. I was planning to meet my friend but he always makes me watch action movies where Bruce Willis movie where he dies hard for the fourth time or something”

“Sounds terrible”, Nick agrees while the elevator doors open and they step in.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They banter all the way to Nick’s flat and its easy and comfortable because Dan has a way with words and appears to hate things quite as much as Nick.

_“Another thing I really hate is when people blot their pizza with tissues before eating. Like why?? If you’re on a diet then why don’t you fucking order a pizza you rabbit!!”_

_“No. Its worse if they do. Have you met people who manage to stick to their diets? Oh god, they are the worst.”_

_“Oh, I never thought of it that way”_

_“See, that’s because you don’t have the sage wisdom that I have accumulated over the years”_

_“Or what about those morons who wears sandals with socks like urrrgghh”_

_“Socks are dumb. People should stop wearing them. How extravagant can you get that you feel the need to buy special clothes for your feet?”_

_“I cant believe someone who takes about five vacations a year find socks extravagant”_

_“Shut up Dan”_

_“You know another thing I hate? People who are annoying happy. They are legitimately the worst”_

_“You know what’s even worse? When people are happy in the morning. I mean, I have to get up early because I get paid but at least I have the decency to moan and bitch about it all the time”_

_“You should stand up for yourself and stick it to the man, Nick. I say you quit your job”_

_“But then who’ll pay for my vacations and anti wrinkle creams”_

_Some communist who owns an anti wrinkle cream company?”_

_“If he’s a communist why does he own a company? Why is there even a communist in this story?”_

_“Because that’s what they do. They stick it to the man. I’m sure Marx said that somewhere. Trust me. I am very smart. I have about one fourth of a law degree”_

_“You do?”_

_“Not really. I did about one of the four semesters required but I failed and never re gave the exam”_

_“Now that’s a communist”._

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Dan’s nice, is the thing. But the even better thing about Dan is that he seems to hate everyone, not unlike Nick. And the even better better thing is that he likes Zac Efron. Again, not unlike Nick. Although Dan appears to be going old school and actually watching his work.

“High School Musical?? You haven’t watched High School Musical? You haven’t cheered for wildcats? And you call yourself an Efron fan? Don’t waggle your eyebrows, I know all about carbs before Efron. I cant believe this. It’s a classic, alright? And it has Zac Efron so if you are not moved by its cinematic masterpiece you can just ogle at him.” 

Shark week is on and some man is talking about how a shark bit off his arm or something and Dan is sprawled over Nick’s couch with the bowl of popcorn on his chest and having way too many chins to be attractive.

“You’re a cultural philistine”, Dan says.

 Nick has no idea what he means.

He can’t help but think of Harry and that maybe this is not alright because it has a date vibe to it even with the chins and the insults. In fact, the chins and insults make it feel particularly more date like. Not most dates. But definitely a Nick Grimshaw date.

 But before Nick can beat himself up properly over the fact that he was checking him out he notices Dan’s shirt and nearly chokes on his wine.

“Your shirt!! It says wildcats. Isnt that what you were droning on about? Oh God, you are worse than I thought.”

“It’s an awesome shirt okay? Phil and quite possibly the whole of the internet tried to bully me into not wearing it and it didn’t work so I don’t think you should even bother trying. Besides, I’ve seen some of the crap you’ve worn. You should speak,” Dan replies.

“Oh yes. I am Dan and I am super famous on the internet. I get it. You don’t have to remind me”

There was a moment before Dan replied where he seemed to hesitate over what to say but then he said, “Um, yeah. Not as famous as you usually like but well known enough, I guess”, Dan said. He looked extremely nervous but held Nick’s gaze.

Suddenly there was a loud scream as someone had spotted the triangular inverted V of a shark finn which was a bad thing for a crowded beach, apparently.

When he looked back at Dan, Nick wanted to laugh. He had obviously run out of all his bravado because he looked more nervous and awkward than he had ever looked. Nick wanted to hug him or atleast pat his back as if to say “Its okay. I didn’t even have the guts to try” but he was also sadistic and wanted to see much more nervous Dan would get. Also, he seemed to blush deeper with each passing moment which was a thing that interested Nick in, a lot.

After about three attempts to speak, which consisted primarily of Dan opening his mouth and looking up but then deciding against it and closing them, he looked up, blinked exactly three times and said, “You know, If I were a shark and some man came to my house in a speedo I’d probably bite its head off too”.

Which was unexpected enough to make Nick laugh but was also so endearing that he really wanted to kiss Dan.

So he did.

It was nice. Dan seemed shy almost but he grabbed the hem of Nick’s shirt and held him close.

 It was lazy and they giggled a bit in between. Nick curled his fingers to the back of Dan’s knees to pull him closer which set Dan off to a fit of giggles.

“Ticklish”, Dan said.

But before Nick could kiss him properly Dan sat upright suddenly and said very seriously, “Nick, I didn't make up that joke. I read it somewhere. I don't remember where. No, actually I do. It was tumblr. Oh God, I passed off a tumblr joke as my own”. 

“What joke?”, Nick asked feeling a little confused about the whole thing. Dan looked seriously distraught andNick wondered what he was even on about.

“The shark joke”

“What?”

“I don’t want you to kiss me because you think I’m funny over a joke I didn’t even make up”, Dan said looking sheepish.

“Trust me, Dan. Your joke has very little to do with why I kissed you”, Nick said before kissing him again.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
